Timeless Master Kit

[dfoulk]

I’ve been using a Timeless razor for several months now and I recently picked up one of their master kits in order to try some of the other items and hopefully to start up a passaround with it. The passaround will likely start out by invite only so please don’t ask unless you’re a steward, a moderator, or have participated in several of my other passarounds and have thousands and thousands of posts. The first few participants are already chosen.

The Master Kit includes the following:

1 Razor Handle
1 Razor Stand
1 Ridged cap
1 Smooth Cap
3 Base Plates

In my case I choose the Barberpole handle, .68 smooth plate, .68 Scalloped Plate and .95 Open Comb Plate. It also includes both caps and a nice stand.

Check out some pics that I took. Some reviews and more thoughts to come soon.

 

[dfoulk]

A few more pics

 

[dfoulk]

Here's a pic for comparison size wise to some of my other razors

Left to Right
Timeless .68 SB
Timeless .95 Open Comb
ATT R1 Colosus Handle
ATT M1 Kronos Handle
Wolfman WR1 SB .54 w/WRH1 Handle
LA Shaving BBS-1
Wolfman WR1 SB .61 w/Darwin Handle

 

[bkatbamna]

What is that around $1000 in razors there? Very nice.

 

[nikonNUT]

What is that around $1000 in razors there? Very nice.

I'd guess north of $2000.00

 

[Greyfox]

I recently bought this razor and I am now tempted to sell every other razor I have. It's that good.

 

[doofus]

I've really got to get my post count up!

 

[Prof. Moriarty]

Looking forward to seeing the reviews of this razor

 

[dfoulk]

What is that around $1000 in razors there? Very nice.

Yeah, thanks. The prices of some of those razors have gotten pretty high on the secondary market. It's crazy if you ask me but I guess it's a supply and demand thing. Some of the razors in the picture are flat out unavailable (Wolfman and BBS-1) and if you are fortunate to get on the waiting list then you're signing up for a one to two year wait. If I were to put them all on the popular auction site for top dollar I'd probably fall somewhere between three and four times your estimate all said and done and they'd likely be gone in a week to people that want one bad enough. Fortunately for me I didn't pay anywhere near that and my wife has no idea what they are worth. Unfortunately, the ones that seem to carry the really high resale prices are some of my favorites and I know if I let them go I won't ever get another.

If I had to rank them in terms of how often I use them and how much I enjoy them, I have to say these are my top three:

Timeless .68 SB
LA Shaving BBS-1
Wolfman .54 SB

 

[dfoulk]

I recently bought this razor and I am now tempted to sell every other razor I have. It's that good.

I'm can totally relate to that as it is that good. I usually just hang onto stuff but I actually sold a couple recently that I wasn't as fond of. I like the Timeless razor that much and while I'm reaching for it most of the time (about 9 times out of 10), I just can't bring myself to sell the ones that would be impossible to replace.

 

[bkatbamna]

Yeah I'm sure if they were put up for auction they would fetch quite a lot.

 

[KeenDogg]

Looking forward to the review! But, I don't want it to make me want one!!! So conflicted!!!

 

[dfoulk]

Looking forward to the review! But, I don't want it to make me want one!!! So conflicted!!!

C'mon, the pics should have already done that. It's the way things are here, see stuff, want stuff, buy stuff.

 

[Hoka Hey]

Should be interesting. Encouraging that the Timeless is your favorite, as it's more attainable than the others.

Mark

 

[Quijote]

That is going to be one amazing pass around.

 

[Greyfox]

I'm can totally relate to that as it is that good. I usually just hang onto stuff but I actually sold a couple recently that I wasn't as fond of. I like the Timeless razor that much and while I'm reaching for it most of the time (about 9 times out of 10), I just can't bring myself to sell the ones that would be impossible to replace.

Yes. I know what you mean. I have a few that I will never get rid of.

 

[dfoulk]

If anyone else would like to post any Timeless Razor Reviews please feel free to add them to this thread. The only requirement is that your reviews are honest. Reviews are only helpful if they are accurate and honest. If you like something then please say so, if something is not for you please feel free to convey that in a respectable detailed manner.

 

[matwho]

@doofus has been telling me for the last month that he wanted to get one of these razors and I really didn't know what he was talking about. After I read this thread I can see why. Keep saving that money @doofus.

 

[razorbrushcream]

I have been looking at the open comb just like the way it looks. I the SB with solid cap that much better? I have sensative skin so I would do the .68 Also cant decide on handle I thought pineapple until I saw your pics

 

[dfoulk]

So to get this started today's shave was:

Preshave: warm shower
Razor: Timeless .95 Open Comb Base Plate, Smooth Cap, Barbershop handle
Brush: Wolf Whiskers w/Shavemac 24 mm 2 band Silvertip
Soap: PannaCrema Nuavia Red
Blade: Feather (about 4 shaves on it - I think)
Aftershave: AOS Ocean Kelp balm

I've been using the .68 plates exclusively for a month or two, which is why I'm starting with the .95 plate. Just to mix things up a bit. I've picked some of my favorite items and products and will continue to do so throughout these reviews. These are the products that I normally use so I am familiar with them. Trying several new items at once is a sure way to get inconsistent results.

About the razor - I've tried both the ridged cap as well as the smooth cap and honestly I cannot tell a big difference between them performance wise. You can argue that the smooth cap would be smoother on your face or that the ridges in the ridged cap will allow more soap for it to glide on but honestly I'm not really shaving with the cap. For me the caps are more of an aesthetic thing. I could get similar results from both but I prefer the look of the smooth cap. Some others will surely like the ridged one as it definitely is appealing as well. The base plate is the only .95 plate in the kit. I am really impressed with it as it's by far the smoothest open comb base plate I've ever used. There are no rough edges on this plate and no scratch feel that is sometimes present with open comb plates. The Barbershop handle is the only one in this kit and I prefer it to the Timeless Pineapple handle that I own as well. It's exceptionally well done and the weight is perfect to offset the heavier razor head.

About the soap - I'm a huge fan of the PannaCrema Nuavia soaps. I find them to be exceptional performance wise and the scents are on another level from any other soap I've tried. Enough said there as these are my favorite of the 500 plus soaps I've tried. Sudsy Soapery is a close second and I'm sure I'll be using their soaps in these reviews as well. There's several others that I really enjoy and will share some thoughts about as well in upcoming reviews.

The brush - The Wolf Whiskers handles are about the best I've encountered. They are certainly worth of a very high quality knot such as the Shavemac 2 band silvertip that's in this one. Face feel and performance are very high end and similar to the Paladin knots that are also highly spoken about. The knot is densely packed with zero scritch and very nice backbone. It's my favorite handle and it contains the perfect knot as far as I'm concerned.

The blade - I've found most blades perform well in the Timeless razors. I usually reach for a Feather blade but I really enjoy the Astra SP blades in the Timeless razors as well. I've also used Polsilver Super Iridium, as well as 7 O'Clock Yellow in these razors with positive results.

The aftershave - AOS Ocean Kelp is a pretty decent aftershave. I usually reach for a balm and will mix it up a bit during the reviews. I chose Ocean Kelp as it's close to unscented and won't really interfere with the Nuavia Red scent that lingers from the soap.

The shave:
The first pass was great. I lathered up the Nuavia soap and applied it for the first pass. In taking the razor to my face it's apparent that this is aggressive but it's also very smooth at the same time. Aggressiveness is about on par with an ATT R1 but it's a lot smoother. It's odd that I compare this open comb razor to a straight bar razor, especially since I do own a R2 plate, but it is appropriate as if I closed my eyes I'd swear I was using a SB. All of the benefits of an open comb are present without the scratchy feel that's usually present in an open comb razor. It's about the smoothest open comb that I've used. I finish the first pass and my face feels great. No nicks, no cuts and a pretty comfortable pass.

The second pass is more of the same. I'm really enjoying this handle as the grip is excellent and the weight is perfect. The second pass is more of the first but I am noticing that the milder razors I've been using are making my technique a bit lazy. Sure I'm getting great shaves but a milder razor will let me get away with a little too much pressure or a slightly off angle scraping my face. This version isn't as enjoying my sloppiness as much as the milder version. Still a great pass and most of the stubble has been cleared.

The third pass I tighten up my technique a bit. I'm having a lazy relaxing shave and don't want to stray from my sloppiness, but this razor makes it necessary. It's not crazy aggressive but it does deserve some respect. The third pass goes well and I end up with a great shave.

I follow the shave with some aftershave balm that unfortunately I suspect is needed.

Overall the shave is very enjoyable. I'll give the razor a couple more shaves before moving onto the .68 versions that I prefer.

Here's a couple pics: